A Calla Lily Blooms
by Lady Nemesis
Summary: A lighthearted story that follows the adventures of Kikyou, Ayame, and the rest of the cast in a private high school. KikyouOC, InuKag
1. Chapter 1

The first bell echoed through the school grounds; Kikyou sighed, gathered up her school things, and headed off to her first class. She paused a brief moment to stare wistfully back at the garden before ducking into a side door. A few minutes later she was seated calmly at a desk in her first period Honors Literature class, organizing the papers in her already-neat notebook.

"Hi," said a pleasant voice from beside her.

Kikyou turned to see a girl at the next desk, golden brown hair cut into a businesslike short style, smiling at her from behind large cat's-eye glasses. Unlike Kikyou, whose taste in clothing was simple to the extreme, this girl had gone all-out with a pink tweed business suit, trimmed with ribbons and ruffles. On anyone else it would have been over-the-top, but on her it was only slightly too much.

"My name's Clarice Warren and I'm new here. This is Honors Literature, right?" Kikyou nodded.

"Oh, good. I got here early and I was all over the place searching for this class; do you know how big this school is? And so clean! And the marble floors—I couldn't believe it; my old school just had this ugly linoleum and I didn't even want to walk on these! And arches and pillars and stuff, too. It's all so classy." She paused for breath, then beamed again. "What's your name?"

Kikyou blinked. "It's Kikyou Ito."

Clarice lugged a large binder from the overstuffed bag next to her chair. "I'm not annoying you, am I?"

"No, not particularly."

She sighed in relief. "Good. Just let me know if I need to shut up, okay? Sorry I kinda just took over this seat, but all the others had people's stuff on them and it was either this or next to that weird kid." She pointed to Miroku Yamamoto, who was talking to a girl at the front of the class. "He kept staring at my chest. Well, such as it is. So what's it like in this class?"

Kikyou turned back to her own, slim notebook. "The teaching is slow-paced at times, but very thorough in its coverage of the material. The workload is manageable and critical analysis and comparison of literature is emphasized."

Clarice beamed even more brightly. "Wow, I need to take notes when you talk! I think I've got it, though. So what are the people like?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. Class is starting."

"Right, right."

-----

The next bell rang, and among the last of the students to exit were Kikyou, who walked with her usual measured stride, and Clarice, who was practically dancing beside her. A few other students frowned at the erratic clicking of heels on the tiles; Clarice beamed at them as well.

"Oh, Kikyou, that was divine! The use of simile and metaphor and the wonderfully meaningful symbolism and the subtle imagery that painted a fleeting and ethereal portrait! I _love_ Honors Literature!"

"How nice for you."

Clarice finally stopped to catch her breath, hugging her bag to her chest. "So what classes do you have next?"

"Honors Botany."

"Oh, man. I've got Pre-Calculus and I won't know anyone. Oh, well. See you later!"

-----

Kikyou heard the other person approach from behind, but didn't bother to look up from the plants in front of her. She meticulously checked the leaves and buds of her herbs, pausing occasionally to remove her lavender gardening gloves and jot down a few observations. Eventually there was a cough from behind her.

"Hello," she said absently.

"Hey, Kikyou," responded a bright voice. Ayame plopped down next to her, red hair in its customary pigtails with pink scrunchies. The girl peered quizzically over Kikyou's shoulder at the straight rows of herbs. "Wow, your plot's coming out great."

"Thank you."

Ayame shook her head and moved over to her own small plot, in which several green stems could just be seen poking from the surface. "Wish my irises would grow that fast."

"All things in time."

"Right. Hey, who was that girl you were with coming here?"

"A new student."

"Well, tell her she's stealing my fashion statement." Ayame dramatically leapt to her feet, eyes cast upwards. "I am the only girl here allowed to wear head-to-toe pink!"

Kikyou smiled in spite of herself. "I wasn't aware of that rule."

Ayame pouted. "Well, it's true." She dropped back to her feet, pulled on a pair of white fuzzy gloves, and snatched Kikyou's plain watering can from beside her. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow this. Ah, if only I could just garden and not have to report on it." She turned back to the flowers. "Oosa good widdle iwis? Oosa good iwis?"

Kikyou pulled the watering can back as Ayame set it down. "That would be an interesting topic for a report: the benefits of baby talk for growing plants."

The other girl laughed out loud. "Kikyou, you're hopeless!"

-----

Kikyou emerged into the lunchroom, which was altogether too crowded for her tastes, and just as quietly slipped out through a side door.

Ayame, for her part, arrived a few minutes later, trailing after a rather irritated Kouga.

"For the last time, Ayame, I don't want to date you!"

The girl sighed, running to catch up. "Yes, you do, and we'll both be a lot happier when you realize that."

"Will you please leave me alone?"

Pouting, the girl followed him through the line for entrées and over to the salad bar, where Clarice, aproned and hairnetted, smiled at them.

"Hi, may I help you?"

"Yes," Ayame replied, "I'll have—hey, Kouga!" The girl stamped her foot and glared after Kouga, who'd seized his chance and escaped. "Fine, I'll catch up with him later. You're Kikyou's new friend, aren't you?"

Clarice beamed. "Yep! Clarice Warren."

"Why are you serving salad?"

"Oh, it's to help pay for my tuition here. I don't exactly have the most money in the world, but eh…"

"Well, whatever. See if you can get Kikyou to lighten up a bit." Ayame pulled back her tray and whirled to face the lunchroom. "Prepare yourself, Kouga!"

-----

"Hey, Kagome," Kouga said, sliding his several trays onto the spot next to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No," Kagome said, voice a bit strained. "Go right ahead."

Sango peered over at him and laughed. "Are you sure you've got enough food there?"

"Oh, he's saving room for when they roast a boar," Eri said from the other side of the table. Next to her, Yuka laughed and Ayumi nodded from behind a romance novel.

Before Kouga could retort, Ayame strode up and planted herself firmly in the seat next to him. He quickly turned to Sango, talking very loudly.

"Oh, Sango, I just wanted to congratulate you on—"

"Kouga, how dare you ignore me!"

"The game last weekend! Your team did really good!"

"Thanks, Kouga," Sango said as she tried not to giggle at Ayame's red face. "I'd been meaning to ask you about the strategy—"

"Kouga!"

"I'd be happy to talk about football, Sango!"

A burst of unpleasant laughter from the next table interrupted them. Kagome and the others, minus Ayumi, turned to see a girl in pink standing next to a row of empty seats.

"What about this one?"

The girl at the head of the table smiled at her. "No, someone's sitting there, too."

"Oh, okay. What about this one?" The other students laughed again.

"No, sorry. Someone's there, too."

Ayame rolled her eyes and strode over, grabbing Clarice by the arm. "Yura, what are you doing?"

The girl shrugged. "It's not my fault there's someone in every seat."

"Yura, don't be a snob. You all might be proud of your puny little families, but I know none of you want to oppose me, so stop acting like the pathetic little upstarts you are! Come on, Clarice." With that she dragged the girl, waving sheepishly to the smirking Yura, back to Kagome's table.

"You're sitting with us now," Ayame announced with satisfaction. "The nerve of some people! I mean, my family is worth more than all yours put together, but you don't see me gloating about it."

"Gee, thanks," muttered Yuka.

"Anyway," continued Ayame, ignoring her, "this is Clarice. Clarice, this is Kouga, my true love—"

"I am not your true—"

"And Sango right there, and my archrival Kagome, and… um, Kagome's friends."

"Oh, that's flattering. Clarice, I'm Eri, that's Yuka, and the girl with her head in the book is Ayumi."

Clarice smiled at them. "What book?"

"Oh, it's called _A Tender Heart's Yearning_. She's a noble lady escaping forced marriage and he's a rough pirate with a heart of gold and he kidnapped her and now they're arguing 'cause she's really fiery—"

"Please," Sango cut in, "I'm trying to eat here."

Eri glared at her. "Ayumi can talk about that crappy bodice-ripper romance if she wants to!"

Sango's angry retort was cut off by the school bell ringing; Clarice, who hated conflict, scurried off as quickly as possible. Kagome was not so lucky, and wound up moderating the conflict on the way to a different class.

-----

The scribbling of pens etched an almost comforting melody in the still air of the psychology classroom. Kikyou, taking notes as the teacher lectured, felt a hand slip into hers for a brief moment. Not looking up from her immaculate notebook, the girl pulled her own hand up to the desk and smoothed out the note inside it.

_My dearest flower, Kikyou, your eyes are like the moon, your hair like ebony…_

She skimmed to the end, penned a brief reply, and then passed the paper back and continued her notes without missing a beat.

Miroku smiled when he unfolded it.

_Yamamoto, I know you have no romantic interest in me. What do you want?_

_Kikyou,_ he replied, _I seem to be having some trouble with our current subjects and am wondering if you could help. And call me Miroku._

_Agreed, Yamamoto. See me after school tomorrow._

_My thanks._

Kikyou didn't bother to reply; she simply slipped the paper into her notebook, and tossed it in the trash can when the bell rang.

-----

Kagome stopped at the large archway that marked the school's entrance. Eri and Yuka, flanking her, sighed impatiently.

"Are you sure you don't want to come shopping with us, Sango?" Kagome asked, glaring at her friends, who were rolling their eyes.

"I'm sure she can't come," said Eri.

Yuka nodded. "After all, she can't miss football practice."

Ayumi smiled brightly. "Being team captain must be a very important job." Unlike the others, there was no hidden malice in her tone, and Sango gave her a half-smile before glaring with contempt at Yuka and Eri.

"I wouldn't want to keep you," Sango finally said, a bit coldly. "You go on your shopping trip."

"Thank you," Eri replied, and before anyone else could say anything, she and Yuka had dragged Kagome off with Ayumi following placidly behind.

-----

Clarice danced out the school's front doors, executing a complex jig before falling to her knees in a pose in front of Ayame and Kikyou, who'd been walking out from behind the building.

"Hey, Clarice," Ayame said, helping the girl to her feet. "What are you doing here after school?"

"Drama club," she practically sang in reply. "I'm trying to convince them to let us do 'Cats' this year, but no luck so far. You two?"

"Gardening club," Kikyou said.

Ayame pulled Clarice into the small group as they headed for the school's parking lot. "Now tell Kikyou that purple irises would be better for the flowerbeds out front. She wants yellow roses."

"Hmm… Yellow roses are très elegant."

"Oh, not you too!" They stopped in front of a sleek red sports car. Ayame pulled open the door, looking fondly at the leather interior. "So how are you getting home?"

"Well," Clarice said, looking at the ground, "I figured I'd walk a ways down and take the subway."

Ayame, shocked, pulled her into the passenger's seat. "No! _One_ of my friends is going to travel in style! I might not be able to get Kikyou away from that horrible little electric car, but I _will_ keep you off the subway!"

"I don't want to impose…" Clarice looked over the expensive design. "But, okay."

"That's more like it," Ayame said proudly. "Kikyou, take note." The car screeched out of the lot, Clarice waving to the gently smiling Kikyou.


	2. Chapter 2

The school had soon grown accustomed to Clarice's habit of dancing in the halls, so when she tapped her way down the hall, most students just moved aside, though a few yelled comments about her needing to take lessons, or at least look where she was going.

"If I were a rich man," she sang in a low voice. "Yidle deedle deedle didle—"

"Would you please shut up?" asked a boy in red, scowling at her.

"But I like this song."

"No one else in the world does."

"Fine," Clarice sighed, then took up her dance again. "The hills are alive… with the sound of music!"

"It's the sound of garbage!" the boy yelled. "You can't sing!"

Clarice smiled at him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were being a little rude to me."

Kagome appeared at her side, followed by Sango, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. She looked from the scowling boy to the smiling Clarice and shook her head.

"InuYasha, do you have to be so rude all the time?"

"Feh," he muttered and walked off.

"Kagome has a crush on him for some unfathomable reason," Eri said.

"No, I don't…" Kagome protested weakly.

Yuka rolled her eyes in unison with Eri. "I will never get it. She could have Kouga or Houjo, two of the most charming people, and she wants the biggest loser in the school."

"He's probably just misunderstood," piped in Ayumi.

Sango grabbed Kagome's shoulder protectively. "She can like whoever she wants."

"I'm entitled to my opinion," Eri said, meeting Sango's glare, "and my opinion is that any relationship with him will end in tears!"

"But I don't like him!" said Kagome. "Clarice, back me up. Clarice? Now look, you've driven her away!"

-----

"And so," the instructor concluded, "you will present to the class in two weeks. This will be your only in-class workday, so use it wisely."

Clarice leaned over to Kikyou, who was busy listing project ideas. "Hey, wanna be partners?" Kikyou simply stared at her; Clarice scratched the back of her head nervously.

"I know you don't know me that well, but I got all A's at my old school. Well, except in math. And I could present the project so you wouldn't have to talk to people, because I know you don't like that, and… um… I've been told that I'm fun to be around by quite a few—by some people, and…"

Kikyou smiled at her. "I should like to focus on the poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson; he's one of my favorites."

"Oh, really? I like Byron, for all that he's a narcissistic little loser sometimes. Pretty stuff. Okay, Tennyson it is!"

"Perhaps…" Kikyou hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Perhaps we could meet in the Honors Botany garden to work more over lunch. Unless, of course, you have a previous engagement."

"Nope. Oh, boy, this is gonna be fun!"

-----

Sango stared blankly at the laptop screen, puzzling over the major religions of Guyana, and then down at her notebook, headed "World Cultures, Period 2." The rest of the page was horribly, horribly empty.

"Compare and contrast spiritual beliefs, discuss various government structures, hypothesize over whatever…" She sighed, and tentatively wrote a few notes. Beside her, Ayumi was busily scribbling away in a notebook that, Sango was rather amused to see, had a fluffy kitten on the front.

"Already writing your essay?" she asked.

"Oh, no," Ayumi said, smiling. "I'm doing mine at home. This is my story."

"Story?"

"Uh huh. She's a strong-willed young heiress and he's a handsome aristocrat and they fall in love at first sight but—"

Sango scowled at the tiny lines of writing covering her screen. "Yeah, I think I get it."

"Why don't you like romance novels?"

"Because life doesn't happen like that. Nobody falls in love at first sight, and most people don't get happy endings."

Sango was expecting some sort of naïve, idealistic protest from Ayumi, and so was rather surprised when the girl replied, "Of course not. That's why I read them."

"What?"

"Of course no one's going to sweep you away to a perfect happily-ever-after. But it's nice to read about. What color should her ball gown be?"

"Um. Green?"

Ayumi stared critically at the page. "Dusty mauve it is."

Sango laughed in spite of herself. "What good's reading about it? If I really wanted to be swept away, I'd go get swept away."

"But I thought people didn't get swept away in the first place."

"Well, I would if I wanted. But I don't. I guess I'm just not girly."

"Hmm…" Ayumi examined Sango's no-frills ponytail and green sweats. "Maybe not. But it doesn't matter if you're happy."

-----

"It's because she's younger than me, isn't it?" Ayame quietly fumed as she watched Kouga talking with Kagome a ways ahead of them. "Or maybe it's the hair. Do you think he'd like me better if I wore it down?"

"I think… it's cute…" Ayumi panted. Ayame turned back to scowl at her.

"Keep up already. I want to rant at someone who can hear me."

"Some of us… don't run… very fast."

"You lack willpower. Oh, look at his stupid, lovesick eyes. _I_ should be on the receiving end of that brainless expression!"

The whistle blew, and Ayame grabbed Ayumi's arm and dragged the girl over to the pile of belts for flag football. Cinching a red belt around her waist to best show it off, she handed one to Ayumi, and then headed for Kouga with a determined expression. When he caught sight of her, the boy practically dove for a yellow belt, which he tied with breakneck speed.

"Oh, sorry, Ayame, looks like we're on different teams," he said.

"There's no problem," she replied through gritted teeth. "I'll just switch teams, then."

"Too late for that," Kouga said, pushing the last yellow belt into Kagome's hands. "Too bad."

"You'll pay for this, Kagome," Ayame muttered before storming off.

Kagome, for her part, tied the belt with a frown. "Thanks a lot for putting me in the middle, Kouga."

Sango tied her own red belt; it had been shoved into her hands with the message that it wasn't fair for she and Kouga to be on the same team. "If you don't like it, tell her where to get off. Sometimes I don't understand you people."

Kouga shook his head. "Telling Ayame anything has about as much effect as kicking a skyscraper. You need a few blows to the head to even get her to _listen_ to you." At Kagome and Sango's shocked expressions, he added, "Not that I would ever hit a woman or anything."

"You'd better not, or I'd come back here and pound you myself," Sango said, walking off to join the red team.


	3. Chapter 3

Eri sighed. "Kagome, she's staring at us again."

"Just ignore her, Eri." Kagome shielded her brown eyes from the sun and stared out to the football field, where some sort of play was occurring. She was aware of Ayame, just on the edge of her vision, sending her a seriously nasty look.

Eri looked at the action as well, obviously bored, and then tugged on Kagome's sleeve. "Look at her eyes. I'm surprised we haven't burst into flames."

Kagome cast a glance at Ayame, who was not looking like a happy camper. She waved nervously; Ayame glared harder.

"And it's not like I even want Kouga. She can have him," muttered Kagome.

A whistle blew, and Kagome and Eri joined the huddle led by Kouga.

"Okay, team," he announced, scooting closer to Kagome, who subtly endeavored to place Eri between them; she could practically feel the heat on the back of her neck.

"So what happened?" asked Eri, covering a yawn. "We score a hit?"

"It's not a 'hit' in football," Kouga said, rolling his eyes, "and they scored a touchdown because they've got Sango. Now, I've got a strategy. Kagome, can you pass the ball?"

"A few feet, maybe…"

"Well, can you catch?"

"Um… no?"

Kouga sighed and shook his head. "Don't take this the wrong way, because I still love you and all, but I really wish Sango was here."

-----

Ayame heaved a heavy sigh. This was not, to Kagome's unexpectedly perceptive eyes, a good sign. She'd already been tapping her fingers for a minute or so; sighing was the next step up on what Kagome had privately dubbed the "Ayame Histrionics Scale."

"And so the team set up the defensive line like this, so the quarterback could go here," Kouga explained to Sango, gesturing wildly in the air. The girl followed his motions, seemingly as absorbed in the conversation as he was. Next to them, Ayame loudly cleared her throat; Kagome noted with some surprise that she'd skipped the exaggerated yawning phase.

"You okay, Ayame?" Kouga asked. "You've been making noises over there."

"I'm fine. I just don't know why you're wasting my valuable time talking about football!"

"But no one's making you listen." At this point Sango, who was in many ways less oblivious than Kouga, backed off to a point of relative safety. A low growling noise began in the back of Ayame's throat; Kagome subtly began edging toward Sango.

"Kouga," Ayame began, "you're my true love. As my true love, you ought to be talking about things that interest me, not the damn World Series or whatever!"

"I am not your true love!"

"And the World Series is baseball," added Sango.

Ayame stomped her foot. "Why can't you just admit that you love me!"

"Because I don't!"

"Well, why the hell not?"

"Because you're childish, self-centered, annoying, and the pushiest person I've ever met!"

Ayame stopped in her tracks, seeming almost to shrink into herself. Kouga sighed in exasperation. "Great, what do you want now?" The girl said nothing, but her lip began to tremble. "What is it? Oh, crap…" he muttered as realization dawned. "You're not going to cry, are you? Look, Ayame, I didn't really mean all of that… Well, kinda, but not like…"

Ayame shot him a misty-eyed glare, then turned and ran down the hallway at a rather impressive speed.

Kouga stared after her, scratching his head. "Well, damn."

Sango walked back to his side. "That was weird."

"Poor Ayame," added Kagome.

Kouga threw up his hands. "What was I supposed to say?"

"I don't know, but I just feel bad for her." She paused. "You know, I always thought the World Series was soccer." Sango and Kouga exchanged identical aggrieved expressions. "What?"

-----

"Kikyou, I'm here!" yelled Clarice brightly as she skipped into the Honors Botany garden. "Sorry I'm a little late, but you know I have to work—what?" She glanced from Kikyou's seated figure, engrossed in a book, to Ayame, who was curled up next to her irises, sniffling. Kikyou was displaying her own sort of compassion—she was close enough to Ayame to show camaraderie, but far enough away to give the girl her space, and silent because silence would be the most comforting.

Clarice bounded over to Ayame, proffering a lacy white handkerchief. "There, there. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Go away," Ayame replied, not looking up, but she took the handkerchief. Clarice stood next to her for a moment before joining Kikyou.

"Kikyou, what happened?" she whispered.

Kikyou shrugged. "I thought that for our Literature project we might set up some sort of chart detailing the major themes of Tennyson's work, some of his more famous poems, and other information."

"What about Ayame?"

The girl sniffled and blew her nose loudly, pigtails falling forward to obscure her face. "I can hear you, you know. If you don't shut up I'm going somewhere else."

Kikyou laid a gentle hand on Clarice's arm. "Let her be. We are here to discuss Tennyson."

"Tennyson isn't crying right next to us!"

Ayame sighed, cast a red-eyed and baleful glare at the two of them, and stormed out in a huff. Clarice sighed as well, out of frustration; Kikyou simply nodded with a knowing expression.

"Now. Tennyson, if you would?"

-----

The school library was a homey sort of room, despite the high, vaulted ceilings and rows upon rows of bookshelves. In contrast with the rest of the school, the designers had aimed for comfort rather than opulence. Ayumi was currently seated on one of the overstuffed red couches, scribbling away in her kitten notebook and seemingly oblivious to the rather loud and hostile conversation a few feet away from her.

She wasn't really paying attention to the words; after spending enough time with Eri, Yuka, Kagome, and Sango, one learned to predict the course that arguments would take. Eri would make a comment about Sango's lack of femininity, Sango would respond by calling Eri shallow, Yuka would leap to Eri's defense, and Kagome would put herself in the middle trying to smooth things over because she never learned.

A few moments later, Sango stalked off through one door, Eri and Yuka through the other, leaving a rather upset Kagome to fall onto the other couch and brood.

"That was a heated little discussion," announced a feminine voice from behind Ayumi. There was the slightest hint of giggle in the smug tone. "So disrespectful in the sanctity of the library."

"Oh, I agree."

The girl pulled herself over the back of the couch and sat down, smirking a bit at Ayumi's sincerity. "I, of course, am Yura. Who might you be?"

"Ayumi," the girl replied, still not looking up. Yura peered over her shoulder, disregarding both manners and personal space. Almost absentmindedly she began braiding a section of Ayumi's hair as well.

"Interesting little misspelling there," she said with a laugh, pointing to a line which compared the heroine's face to that of an angle. "Tell me, was she acute or obtuse?" Ayumi laughed as well, erasing the offending word.

Yura reached over and pulled the notebook from Ayumi's unresisting hands, flipping idly through the pages. "Let's see… Plundered? _Plundered?_ Her mouth?" She burst into a fit of giggles. "Dear God, this is the worst make-out scene ever!"

A few heads turned; Ayumi blushed an interesting shade of red. "Did you have to announce that to the library?"

"Everyone in here's a loser, anyway. Except me. Now…" Yura scratched out a bit and began rewriting. "Let's make this witty banter actually witty. And we'll tone down this nauseating sanctimony of hers, hmm?"

"So why are you helping me?" Ayumi asked, reading with interest the amended love scene. "And she doesn't use that sort of language."

"Now she does. And I'm here because I currently have nothing better to do than meddle in the affairs of the little people."

"I think you actually have a kind heart."

"Oh, do you? Now that's amusing." She giggled. "I must be going—classes and such—but perhaps I'll see you later. Don't talk to me when I'm around anybody important. Ta ta."


End file.
